The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-25
TO BEAT THE TELEPHONE
EDISON TO DO MARVELOUST THINGS
WITH THE TELEPHONE.

A Perfected Machine that will Work
a Revolution-The Wizard Tells the
Story of His Invention and What He
Hopes from 1t.
From the Philadelphia Times.
New YORK. Oct 2l-Thomas A. Edison
has got the most wonderful laboratory on
the face of the earth. He has erected at
Llewellyn Park, in Orange, n. j., three
buildings of brick Each is 100 feet long by
so wide, and each has four stories These
buildings are being supplied with every
known material which could possibly be
made use of.
Mr. Edison has been talking to reporter
of the Evening Post and has been telling
some marvellous tales about his perfected
photograph Hear him:
THE WONDERFUL PHoNoGRAPH
''You know that | finished the first
monograph more than ten years ago IL
remained more or less of a try. The germ
of something wonderful was perfectly dis
tinct but | tried the impossible with 1t and
when the electric light business assumed
commercial Importance | threw everything
overheard for that. Nevertheless the phono-
graph has been more or less constantly in
my mind ever since. When resting from
prolonged work upon the light my brain
would revert almost automatically to the
old idea. Since the light has been finished
have taken up the monograph and after
eight months of steady work have made 1t
commercial invention.
''My photograph | expect to see i'll every
business office The first 500 will, hope, be
ready for distribution about the end Of
January Their operation is simplicity 1t
self, and cannot fail. The merchant or
clerk who wishes to send letter has only
to set the machine in motion and to talk in
his natural voice and at the usual rate of
speed into the receiver. When he has
finished the sheet, or phonogram,' as call
it., is ready for putting into little box
made on purpose for the mails. We are
making the sheets into three sizes-one for
letters of from 800 to 900 words, another
size for 1000 words, another size for 1000
words l expect that an arrangement may
be made with the post office authorities en-
abling the phonogram boxes to be sent at
tire same rate as a letter
LISTENING TO THE MESSAGE.
The receiver of phonogram will put it
into his apparatus, and the message will be
given out more clearly, more distinctly than
the best telephone message ever sent. The
tones of the voice in the two monographs
which have finished are SO perfectly rem
dered that one can distinguish between
twenty different persons, each one of
whom has said a few words One tremen-
dous advantage is that the letter may be re-
peated thousand times if necessary. The
monogram does not wear out by uSe more
over it may be filed away for a hundred
wears. and be ready the instant it is needed.
If a man dictates bis will to the phono-
graph there will be no disputing the au-
thenticity of the document with those who
knew the tones of his voice in life. The cost
of making the phoGogram will be scarcely
more than the cost of ordinary letter paper.
L. a l.,%t
with the same speed with which it was die
tated.
Il have experimental with device for
enabling printers to set type from the die
tation of the photograph and think that it
viii work to a charm. 1t is so arranged
that the printer by touching a lever with
his foot allows five or ten words of the
monogram to be sounded. If he is not
satisfied with the first hearing he can make
it repeat the same words over and over
again until he has them in type. For busy
men who dictate great deal for the press
am sure that the monograph will be a
necessity after very little experience.
TAKING DOWN AN OPERA.
''For musicians the monograph is going
to do wonders, owing TO the extreme cheap
ness with which can duplicate phonograms
and the delicacy with which the apparatus
gives out all musical sounds. In the early
monograph of ten years ago, which was
very imperfect and crude affair compared
to that OF to-day, it was always noticed that
musical sounds came out peculiarly well ;
the machine would whistle or sing far better
than it would talk. This popularity of the
monograph remains. | have taken down
the music of an orchestra, and the result is
marvellous; each instrument can be perfectly
distinguished, the strings are perfectly dis
tinct the violins from the cellos, the wind
instruments and the wood are perfectly
heard, and even i'll the notes of violin the
over-tones are distinct to a delicate ear 1t
is going to work wonders for the benefit of
music lovers \ piece for any instrument,
for the piano or for an orchestra, or an act,
or the whole of an opera, musical instlu-
ments and voices can be given out by the
photograph with a beauty OF tone and
distinctness past belief, and the duplicating
apparatus for phonograns Is so cheap an
affair that the price of music for the phono-
graph will be scarcely worth considering.
As the phonogram will be practically indie
structible by ordinary use such music can
be played over and over again.
AN ELECTRIC MOTOR.
"My first photograph, rs you remember.
consisted simply OF a roller carrying the
foil and provide with a diaphragm point
properly arranged to scrape or indent the
foil The roller was turned by hand. In
the new instrument there is far more COM
plication but altogether different results.
My propelling machinery consists of small
electric motor, run by very few cells.
Strange to say, have found more diff
Guilty III getting a motor to suit me than
any other part of the apparatus. l tried
various kinds of clock work and spring
motors, but found them Enthusiastically and
noisy. The motors / am now making are
absolutely steady and noiseless. There is
no part of the apparatus, the tools for which
am now making upon a large scale here,
which is likely to get out of order or to
work in an uncertain manner. The two fin
ished monographs are practically exactly
what 1 intend to offer for sale within few
MONTHS
Among the things at which Mr.. Edison is
hard at work, taking them up in turns, arc
cotton picker, heat generator of elecric.
ity, and new device for propelling street
cars by electricity